As a child I was not an active participant in sport. I was the spectator and the everyday student that just happened to be an observer of sport and socialized with a few athlete friends. I cannot say that I was taught anything through the conditioning of sport personally. My conditioning came more from the structured schooling that I was a part of from Kindergarten through high school. I was never exposed to a public learning institution until I came to college. The only thing that I could gauge comparison on is the difference between public and private schooling experiences in sport and education. All of our sport teams were structured and nurtured. They did not lack funds for uniforms or transportation like some of the public schools in the surrounding areas. Parents, alumni, and the Archdioceses of Baltimore funded our school, so none of our programs were ever really at a loss. We had access to some of the highest levels of education, counselors, advisors, and the like. It was a privilege with an edge. Test prep was part of the curriculum, as was honors invitations. My schools were never subjected to limited creativity and teaching guidelines. Private school afforded me a lot of freedoms that public schools struggle for and federally funded institutions.

Growing up in suburban Maryland I found an abundance of sports which I could enjoy as a youth. My sporting choices were not so much forced on me as instilled upon me. I had two older brothers who each excelled in their own sports and I was supposed to excel at anything they were. I played the big three sports during my early childhood, football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. I thoroughly enjoyed my sporting experiences but I was taught by my brothers and others who influenced me to reject the “alternative sports” skateboarding and in line skating just for the sake of skating was seen as a waste of time. As I grew older the passion for many of these sports left me. I played football through high school because I was forced to by my parents, they saw an opportunity for me to get a partial scholarship to college and they had invested years in me playing football so I went along with it. My real passion though was tennis. I gave up basketball and baseball and focused on tennis day in and day out. I was actually ridiculed for this choice but it didn't bother me in any way. In fact I believe in America that tennis has become an alternative sport. When you play tennis like skateboarding people generalize the type of person you are and how they believe you will react. Oddly enough tennis is not regulated to the extent of baseball and other sports at a young age. You call your own match and it is up to you on what style and type of player you become. In baseball you are taught to be one way, everyone is taught to have their elbows up head down, eyes on the ball. Take the 2003 Little League World series for example, the sport was so regulated that members of each team regardless of country were forced to speak English during their introduction (pg 15, white, 2007). I found tennis to be a freedom from the over-regulated sports I had played.

Baseball, Basketball and Soccer were the sport of choice for my parents and a lot of parents in the neighborhood. Show up and be nice were the main things taught, which drove my mother and I crazy. The youth sports today are all about fair play and nobody gets there feelings hurt, which will probably cripple some children because they cannot take any criticism or rejection later in life. Youth sport was a way to reconnect with the upper middle class children. Most poor families, minorities, couldn't afford to play in Babe Ruth leagues or select leagues when I grew up. The boys needed to be in these leagues to play in the Little League World Series. Never getting exposed to the “win at all cost” aspect of the game, we did not take the game to seriously. Baseball games did let some of us get away from our lives and it “mythically represents a time of simplicity, peace, harmony (White, Silk, and Andrews 2007).”

Growing up poor did not allow many opportunities that other had to take advantage from. SAT prep class was a luxury and not a requirement in high school. Only one PSAT was given to help prepare for the most overrated college admission requirement. While upper class students prepare hard for the test we struggle for new books. This definitely had a negative effect on the scores. Instead of the test score I relied on my graciousness and learned ideals of what people in power look for. Using these skills I could get a better job than most, and faster, also get in to college with recommendation and essays.

When I was growing up the biggest part of school every year it seemed I had to take some type of standardized test. In elementary school I remember taking at least 3. Then in high school I had to take a couple HSA's which were more standardized test and then of course my senior year I took my SAT twice. Before the test I had to do 2 practice SAT tests but that was my sophomore and junior year. I don't think that the practice tests helped at all because I didn't take them seriously because I wasn't worried about them when I had to take them and I thought they were just a waste of time. I think that I got more out of taking practice tests on my own. I didn't take the SAT class that my class offered because I didn't know they had one until I had taken the SAT twice. As a kid I grew up playing soccer for two reasons. One it was cheap and two my parents didn't want me playing football so playing soccer was really my only option. I played on two teams when I was young. One was really good and the other one wasn't good at all. On my first team they taught that everyone had to work together in order to win. On my second team it was get it to the coaches son because he was good. I learned two things from my experience playing on this team. You have to work hard and play as a team in order to win and it may work for one game for you to give it to your best player to win, but it doesn't really work. When I went to high school I played soccer and lacrosse and these two things that I learned in pee wee soccer were real relevant in high school. My soccer team only won when we played as a team and it was the same for my lacrosse team. I think that the sports I have played in are similar to the Little League World Series. The United States is portrayed as a powerhouse and “their shit doesn't stink.” The same for me every time we were about to play the powerhouse schools they never started their first string guys and there were always the guys who had something to say about how much we sucked. All sports are the same you have the best teams who always beat on the worst teams, and then there are the teams who always get the credit for being so good.

Overall, after reading most of the replies, it is obvious the affects sport has on youth. Sport was a great way to make relationships, teach you values that should be used for the rest of your life. From teamwork, motivation and loyalty, these aspects I know I learned from sports which will directly affect me for the rest of my life. I don't know who I would be if I never participated in sports. The affects even trickle up to your parents, as relationships were made through them going to my games and keeping me interested.

When I think back to my youth and sporting experiences, our social class and community where we lived basically told you what you could and could not play. For most of my life I lived in a working class to middle class family. I played the normal sports that everyone else played and had the opportunity to participate in. None of my friends played golf or swam, because this require access to expensive venues like a golf course or pool. Everyone played soccer or basketball or baseball. We would get off school, walk to the park and play pick-up games. This taught me friendship, teamwork, competition and loyalty. That was the norm for me and the community filled with working class families. As my parents got better jobs and our family moved up the social class ladder, the opportunities started to expand for me in terms of going to professional sporting venues and even playing these higher class sports like golf or ice hockey.



I've lived in New Jersey all of my life, and standardized testing was taken very seriously. In New Jersey, there aren't a lot of private schools like there are in Maryland and the Baltimore area. Everyone went to public schools, which are notoriously very good in New Jersey. Every year we would have to take some sort of standardized test, from the CAT test to whatever else. As a class we would prepare for about a week and it was taken very seriously. The fact that I went to good schools that had good funding and budgets prepared me and my classmates well for not only these tests, but education in general. I think this is very unfair in certain aspects because I know two of the three neighboring towns next to me had terrible funding and budgets and thier schools were run down. The kids in those communities weren't given the same opportunity for learning as my friends and I, and it all had to do with money. My high school had SAT prep courses, but I never took them. My parents made me go through Princeton Review, which was an online SAT prep course which I did not take very seriously, which I should have. Because of my family social class status, I had the oppportunity to prepare for the SATs better then most children, which in my opinion isn't very fair.

I went to school in Maryland and grew up with the MSA and the MSPAP. I never really thought anything of these tests because I knew they were not measuring me as an individual but rather measuring the performance of the school as a whole. When high school SATs came around, I took a prep course because my parents made me. I feel strongly that it made very little difference in my final results because when it came down to it I didn't care very much about them in the first place. I didn't even pay attention in those prep courses because they were taking time away from my summer of fun. I don't think it helped me nor did it cause me to perform poorly.



In my youth I played soccer and basketball. I played on competitive travel soccer teams and played on recreational basketball teams. I think some of the most important qualities that I learned from playing soccer was friendship, determination, and persistence. Friendship is not the same as teamwork, but it does play a part in working as a team. I found girls my age who liked doing the same "tomboy" activities (playing sports and getting dirty) that I enjoyed doing. I made friends on these teams and we enjoyed playing together outside of the team, which in turn helped us on the field. I don't recall having one teammate who went to school with me. As I began playing more competitively, I learned that in order to stay the best I had to be better than the best players on the team. I had always been very good without trying very hard, and now if I wanted to keep doing what I was doing because I loved the game, I had to start working hard at it.



Something that I noticed when I got into high school was that I was not your typical "athlete". I was kind of an athlete trapped in a punk kid's body. So when I made JV basketball and decided I wanted to dye my hair blue, this made my coach livid. Me at the time was thinking, what's wrong with having blue hair? But apparently nobody, not the team, the coach, or varsity, appreciated my new smurf look. I guess these girls had been trained to behave a particular way and that my outlandish behavior was inappropriate for high school athletes. Jacqui Betts

i agree. i think SAT is a biased testing system and that all kids don't have the same opportunity to get a good score but the test is weighed so heavily. its not fair. i think a system should be presented that can some how give every student one free prep class or some type of preperation for the test so it can even the playing field more.

When you think back to your youth (sport) experience can you think of how the change had an effect on this formative part of your youth. Did you go to schools that had formalized testing? Did you get to have an SAT study course before you took the test why/why not? Do you think this had a positive or negative effect on your score? Is this fair? In terms of sport which one's did you play as a youth? What did they teach you? Did you learn teamwork? Were you trained to behave and socialize in particular ways? Have any of you tried “alternative” sports? Were they all that different from the Little League Baseball structure outlined in the reading?



I think sports definetly affected my youth. i was just sports oriented like i missed my friends birthday parties and stuff like that most of the time because i had practice or a game. it also enabled me to see and go to many different places as well as kept me busy and out of trouble. all i did was study and play sports. yes my school had formalized testing in which if you had to pass the designated ones before you could graduate highschool. i didnt have to have an SAT course before i took it because the SAT material was integrated into our curriculum so we were learning the stuff needed for the test in our regular classes. it had a positive effect. i had alot more time to learn the stuff than many other people so it was very benefitcial. As a youth i played basketball, volleyball. track, attempted softball. they taught me team work and how to have a work ethic and how to deal with people in certain social situations. Yes, we were ladies so we were expected to act like it including to have good sportsmanship. in my experiance it wasn't all that different from the reading. our parents were heavily involved. there was competition but everyone paid to be there and get better.

I had SAT prep classes for about a week or so before the tests were administered in high school. They would be either given a before or after school time slot or they would be integrated into our english classes. I was in a middle-upper class school system. There were some schools in the county that did have specific SAT courses, and others that didn't have any at all. I thought this was very unfair to those who didn't. Even though the education system pushes that the SAT's are a huge deal, they dont treat them as if they are in all the schools which is very negligent. If they are going to push them so hard in some schools, why not all the schools? I dont think taking the SAT prep classes really improved my scores anymore so if I just took more time and sat down by myself looking over my notes and studying. There were kids i knew who didnt take these classes and did better than me on the tests in school and on the SAT's in general. I'm just a terrible test taker and wasn't able to over come my anxiety until I got into college.



I played volleyball, basketball, and ran track in high school. Teamwork is a huge part of each of these sports, including track n field because I ran relays. These sports taught me a lot of things. I learned strategy in all of them. Volleyball by looking at the court and seeing where the best place to serve was, or in basketball how to run a quick break or basic defense moves. Also, these sports taught me that you can't always win, even when you try your hardest and that you have to win gracefully and not be a sore loser. Friendships were also made through these sports and having a great attitude about not playing or running all the time because someone just might be doing better than you that day. I did participate in club volleyball year round. My club teams were very political when it came to things. If the coach's child was on the team then they would play before anyone else even if they were terrible. A lot of parents took our club team more seriously than the players themselves did. We played the sport because we thought it was fun and we used it to get away from things; however, the parents turned it into a sport we grew to hate because of their "over-passion" for it all and pushing us too hard.



Kasi Harris

After reading a lot of posts, i have noticed that people said that the SAT Prep class gives the students that take it an unfair advantage over those students that don't have the opportunity of taking it. Obviously, if you tkae the class and you put in the work that is expected, it is going to benefit you in some way, however what I noticed while taking the class is that the class lacked the necessary focus on studying. In SAT Prep, you learn about analogies and many other aspects of the test, but none of this does anybody any good if they aren't taught how to study for the test. These classes have many students in them and not everyone moves at the same pace, so students need to study these concepts at home in order to be caught up in class. However some students take longer to learn concepts so no matter how much they study they will always be behind and never catch up. I found that it is much better to study on your own, so you can move at your own pace. The class didn't help me out at all, i know it didn't help many other people who took it.

I went to elementary and middle school in western Maryland and we had some forms of standardized testing but it was never really taken all that seriously. We would prepare for a week or so before they were given and then that would be the end of it. But then in 8th grade i moved into Frederick County and the same standardized testing was being done but they took it much more serious, exactly what they were for and how we should go about preparing for them was a 180 degree turn. As far as the SAT prep class, one was offered through school, but it was pretty expensive and was on Saturday mornings. Honestly, what high schooler is going to sign up for that. I have plenty of classmates whose parents made them take it but they seldom went or when they did they got nothing out of it due to the feeling of not wanting to be there or the dreaded hangover. I personally never took the class because I didn't feel it necessary, i know a lot of people that never took it and have turned out just fine.



As a child I played football basketball and baseball. I made most of my friends through these activities. They also taught me many things. Good and bad i suppose. As i child i hated losing, and since in Boonsboro we did a lot of that it was rough and we never really learned how to lose gracefully. But we also learned teamwork and hard work. Throughout high school i played football and basketball, in high school i finally got to play for a winning team. This also taught me and my teammates a lot. Sportsmanship and teamwork was drilled into our heads. Throughout sports not only did you learn the little simple things in life, they also teach you motor skills and fundamentals.



The only alternative sports i have ever participated in was skiing, which is only alternative because it was not your conventional downhill skiing, i skiied in the board park and such with all the snowboarders. It was alot different then the little league experience, there was no formal structure to it, you just kind of road the lift up and went as you felt like it, stayed out as much as you wanted and made as many runs as you wanted, where the little league was scheduled practice times and game time, with teams picked by adults.

I am surprised at how many schools offered a SAT prep class. spslugger88 made a comment that the kids who were offered this went to middle to upper class schools and it is not fair. I totally agree with the fact that it is not fair. The SAT's do not necessarily test how smart you are. In SAT prep classes they teach you the "tricks" of the test, like when to or not to answer a question. It is not fair that just because a smart student went to a poor school that he/she does not get to take a prep class.





It is very interesting to me that almost everyone played soccer growing up but it is not popular in America. My family is one of the only families that I know that actually watches American soccer. I do no that a lot of people watch teams like Manchester united but they do not watch local teams. My family is big on women's soccer, we went to a world cup game when they played Germany in DC and we used to go to WUSA games (they are bringing the league back in 2009).

All throughout school we had formalized testing. The problem with these tests is around 8th grade we all realized that they did not matter. They had no affect on passing or failing, they were just to make the school look good (or bad). From what I hear students have to pass some of the tests now to graduate. That causes more problems in schools where teachers spend all there time teaching students how to pass these tests instead of teaching them what they really need to know. When I was in high school I was never offered or made to take a free SAT prep course. I went to a public school in Baltimore County and they offered some prep classes after school and at the local community college but they definitely were not free. It is not really fair that some students were given a free class that might have improved their score, while others had to pay. I guess that is just how school is, city public schools do not get the same opportunities as county public schools and county schools do not get the same opportunities as private schools.



Growing up I played a variety of sports. I started off like almost every kid playing softball and soccer. I really focused on those two sports; I played for the local recreation leagues as well as club teams. My family spent almost every weekend traveling because my sister played the same sports as I did. When I got a little older I started playing basketball and I even played lacrosse for one season. Lacrosse was not that popular in my neighborhood growing up so most kids just played softball. Once I got to high school I was pretty much done with soccer and softball because I wanted to try new things so I did volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. After high school I played two years of volleyball for my Essex community college and I started playing golf. I definitely think I learned a lot from playing sports. I learned a lot about commitment, once you join a JV or varsity team you quickly learn that you cannot miss games or practices unless you have a real good reason. Also I learned a lot about teamwork especially in volleyball. Volleyball is a sport where you cannot possibly do it all by yourself. Out of all the sports I have ever played I really learned the most about myself playing golf. In golf you need to be patient, competitive, honest but at the same time you need to have fun and not get frustrated or you will hate it.

I think the SATs, while they are a standardized test and are theoretically supposed to be equal for everyone, are just the opposite. The skills one is suppoosed to be showing on the SATs are basic skills that one learns in school. If schools teach differently and are funded differently, have different opportunities for the childre, than the result, SAT scores, are also going to be different. And now with the addition to the SATs, the score is even more diverse because not everyone has a knack for writing. While it is supposed to show basic skills, so is school and passing those grades are enough to show that youve learned that. The Elimination of the SATs would make a more equal playing field than actually having them around.



Andy Grygier

Team sports definatley helped me to gain teamwork skills in school and leadership outside of it. There was also a sence of responsibility in going to practices and games and devoting time. It builds character in where you learn how to follow rules and you build up a sense of justice within yourself that tranfsers past the field. all of these things are learned in schools too but in a sport atmosphere, people can always revert back to it being fun to get people back into it, where school dosent work like that. In school we were definatley encouraged to take SAT prep course in order to build up some skills needed to take the test but to see if it really was worth it, i wanted to test it. So I took the SATs first, then took the course and then took the tet again, and i ended up getting the exact same score. So in my experiance, the class didnt help me to get a better score, so it might not help others either.

I have practiced other sports in my life other than team sports that i guess could be categorized as alternative. Starting in first grade, i took karate lessons at a local community center. Im still with the program and have recently gotten my black belt in Tang Soo Do. This sport, if you can call it a sport, has taught me different things from team sports. Ive developed a sense of dignity and pride that one loses if they are not the best at a team sport. In karate you can look to no one else if your not progressing and getting better, but yourself, which makes you become a better person in many ways. I also Skateboarded for a little while, but it was less of a sport and more of a mode of transportation. I learned to stay out of cars ways....



Andy Grygier

Growing up in my middle class household was a good experience for me because sports were all around me and I loved to participate in it with all the other neighborhood kids. Basketball was the sport I was first introduced to and the one I played the most as a kid. Because of this basketball and sports in general made a huge impact in my life growing up. Sports have played a positive role in childhood. A typical day for me would be getting up early and going to school and coming back home to hurry up and get my homework done just so I would play basketball with the other kids before the sun went down. Basketball was how I chose to spend most of my free time back then. Whether it was watching it on TV or playing it I was doing something involved with the sport. As a kid it kept me in shape, athletic, and out of trouble. When basketball team signups were going on at school I signed up and was on the team. My experiences playing on a team in being coached were generally good. I learned to work with others, take direction, teamwork and discipline. We were expected to behave and socialize in a particular way but it was only the same way we would behave in the classroom setting. We conducted ourselves like student athletes. This included raising your hand before you speak to the coach when he was going over a play, no complaining, do your best and don't cheat.

The school I went to did have formalized testing. I did have to take the SATs and go through that whole process. I started out taking SAT Prep my sophomore year of high school. I enrolled in the class because I was feeling uneasy about taking the test and felt the extra practice couldn't hurt. It was the only SAT preparation class that my school offered. In the class I did gain more insight to what would be on the test and did expand my vocabulary. As far as actual improvement on the real thing goes though, I didn't really notice a difference. I wouldn't be surprised if I would have gotten the same exact scores on the test if I hadn't taken the class. Was did help me out though was the practice SAT tests that you could take. My school only offered it twice a year. I don't remember how many times I took it but I do remember that I improved each time I took it. I don't think the SAT in general is fair at all. It's unfair that one test weighs that much on what colleges you get accepted into. I'm not the best test taker and I know others who aren't either. You could be a straight A student but if you score below average on the SATs its going to take a huge toll on how other colleges see you and I don't think that's fair. I feel your high school GPA should take up a bigger portion of your academic standing and the SATs should have a smaller portion of it. That way it'll be a lot more fair for everybody.

I agree with the fact that the SAT prep class gives an unfair advantage to students who can afford it. For students that can not afford to pay for the class, they are not put on the same playing field. And the SAT's were supposed to be just the opposite. They are supposed to give everybody equal chances and put all students on the same playing field.



Scott Rappaport.

It sounds like a lot of schools offered some sort of SAT prep class but it wasn't a big deal for some schools. But the students that got extra preperation from classes out of school come directly from the middle to upper class. These people are also the studetns who depend more on the SATs for the school they hope to get into. The lower class students aren't afforded the same help because people don't expect them to achieve these higher instituions. And this isn't a fair situation for them to be in.

The high school that I attended was Northwestern High in Baltimore city. We had two standard test that we had to take. One test was the Maryland High School Assesment and the other was the SAT. The MHSA was a test that didnt effect your chances into getting into college. But if you passed with a high score you could get a credit towards your graduation of college. From what I can remeber the test, tested you on math, english, and science. But recently I believe that the board of education is trying to make passing this test a require. As for the SAT, it was one of the most difficult test I ever took. I took it two times and didnt do so great. My school had a prep course for the SAT but the only one I took was the math one. So that didnt help me in the subjects of the test. The study course really didnt help me bacause it was not a year long course. Coming from a public school from Baltimore I needed a lot more help with preparing for the SAT. If it wasnt for my GPA in high school I probably would have not made it to a University for my first year of school. Growing up I played a lot of recreation basketball. We were taught to play as a team not a person. We were also taught to show good sportmanship to the opponents. Even when a teammate would miss a shot or mess up on a play we had to encourage them to keep trying and that it was ok.

Andrew Schwartz's response is another perfect example of how one individual's personality and character is shaped from the sport they have grown up with. Besides your typical teamwork attributes, playing sports that involve one to acquire the personal drive to discipline and motivate themselves as an individual comes from a smaller handful of sports. In this case for Andrew, it was golf. It is evident from most of the other responses that sports are the easiest life experiences, especially at the youth age, that we can say have helped shaped the kind of people we are today.

After reading some of the responses that have been posted, i can see a consensus that sport is important to youth. Everyone remembers their story/stories from sports so it obviously made a great impact on everyones lives. Like learning skills in school, everyone learned teamwork, dedication, and to have fun in youth sports. Though some people stories went on to get more serious as the level of sport increased, the basic idea from everyone was the same. I never realized the amount of kids who were involved in some type of sports in their life. Sports obviously plays a great role in childhood and participation should always be encouraged.

I went to a public school in Frederick, MD and the only formalized test i can remember taking was the MSPAP. There wasn't an SAT prep class or anything like that. I do remember taking a class called integrated studies, in sixth grade, but that class only taught you how to research topics. Also i was never exposed to cumulative tests in High School, so when i got to college that was a new challenge for me. When i look back at my public schooling, i wish that i would have been taught the skills and strategies that many of the friends i met in college did. I bet if i had courses in school to prepare me for testing, i would have gotten better scores, especially on the SAT's.



Growing up i played baseball and basketball. In high school i played lacrosse. In the early years, sports gave me a chance to have fun with my friends. Winning didnt matter, the team mom still brought a snack, and everyone played. I learned teamwork from my coaches, and dedicaton from my parents (who would make me fulfill my "obligation" to the team). Little League was fun because it brought a lot of kids together and drew a nice crowd from my town, for each game. This was the first time that baseball became competitive in relation to previous seasons in different leagues. Then i switched to lacrosse in middle school and ended up playing all four years in high school. I was the only freshman to make the team my first year, so i was able to experience the "rookie hazing" from the team. Then the next three years i took on the responsibility as team captin. I was expected to motivate, encourage, and develop players on my team (just as if i were an assistant coach). That leadership has helped me through out life because it taught me how to interact with people even if you are the one given the power. I never abused my privelege and lead my team to two sucessful years in lacrosse my junior and senior year. Sports can teach kids so many different aspects of life at all levels of play. I believe sports are a necessity in childhood because it gives the child experiences that you cannot get from any other activities.

I agree with those people who say that SAT prep is a big advantage for those who take it. What I don't agree with is how some kids don't get a chance to take it at school. Those people who got SAT prep outside of school and paid for it and say that it's "fair" because they paid for it...thats exactly why it isn't fair. Maybe you think it's fair because its you thats getting the benefit but when you think about the fact that some people can't pay for it but still deserve the opportunity to have it, you realize that it's not fair! What would be fair is all school having the option of taking an SAT prep course.

Erin Ragan

When I grew up I attended a public school district in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, which is nationally recognized. Therefore we did have formalized testing. The summer before I took the SATs I took a group SAT review class. I then had a private tutor at a learning center to prepare myself for the next time I took the SATs. The private tutor did not significantly affect my test score. I believe that this extra help before the test if fair since you have to pay in order to receive it. When I was a youth I played a large variety of sports. I played soccer, softball, basketball, dance, equestrian, and gymnastics. I believe that the sports I played as a youth taught me many lessons. Soccer and basketball taught me how to play as a unit because playing as an individual wont win you the game. All these sports taught me teamwork, which is a valuable lesson to learn as a youth. I have never tried any alternative sports.

In response to Yankee 1227, I agree with you that you think SAT prep is a fair idea. If the help is there for you then I don't see why it should be considered unfair for an individual to take advantage of it.

I went to a county public school growing up where there was some standardized testing. The no child left behind act was still in its introductory phase so all of the testing that went along with that didn't affect me because I graduated before it took affect. However, we still had the SAT. The most stressful standardized test I have ever taken. This test alone determined what type of college you would be going to. My school offered a class during the semester that was an SAT prep class, but I chose not to take it. Instead I took the pre SAT tests that were offered once a year, and I also went to a learning center for extra help after I took the test the first time. I believe that the learning center was extremely helpful seeing as the score from my first test to my second went up 200 points. I believe it is fair because I had to pay for it so I don't have a problem with getting extra help. The article defines the LLWS as being about “inculcating young Americans and their foreign counterparts with hyper-conservative ideals. These ideals characterized by family values, traditional gender roles, youthful innocence, in addition to a love of God, country, and capitalism.” When I was younger I played baseball for a little league team. While I was playing the values of teamwork and hard work were instilled in us, however I never really felt like we were being portrayed as anything other then as kids playing ball.



Michael Cole

In response to kpalme4 comments I am appalled that they made you pay for prep classes for the SAT's that blows my mind. Budget cuts forced the administration to take the SAT prep course you did have in your curriculum, what a joke. First they make such a big stink about how important the SAT's are for your admittance to college and then they can't find the money to back up their claim. I say let's all head to France where University fees are on the government.

I went to Franklin High school in Baltimore County and I didn't just have an SAT study course but there was a class actually developed to address how to prepare for the SAT. I remember over the years taking part in state-wide administered examinations to compare our intellects with other counties. I personally didn't take the class and I don't truly believe it really did help the students who did take it. The SAT is biased and extremely unfair due to the fact that they only measure mathematic, critical reading, and English skills. I guess social studies, political sciences; art, music, and computer technology are not good enough components for attesting to how smart someone is. As a youth I dabbled in recreational soccer, travel indoor soccer, little league, and recreational basketball. Were all taught teamwork as young athletes but I don't know if it really registers until we mature. I remember being a complete ball hog in soccer, I always wanted to shoot. Recreational basketball was no different, as an 8 year old kid all you want to do is make a basket in order for your dad to congratulate you. By the time I played travel indoor soccer I guess is where the idea of teamwork turned into a concept used in reality. I believe we started to believe in the concept of teamwork when were treated like men and respected like men. Teamwork seemed distasteful and unfathomable on a recreation team where structure and organization aren't prime factors.

Growing up, I went to schools that had formalized testing. However, I never got the opportunity to receive SAT prep courses because low availability of such courses locally and the expensive costs. I think in Long Island there were a lot of clear cut advantages and disadvantages between the middle class and upper class towns as far as opportunities were concerned. I definitely think this had a negative affect on my SAT score. There are many other upper class towns where the youths have a wide-range access to special and advanced tutoring. In sports, this applies to the access youths have had to the athletic programs and how advanced the levels of training are that they have received.



When I was younger I grew up playing soccer and running track and field. I'd definitely have to say that running track has definitely helped shape the kind of person that I am today. Track and field is an individual sport that involves the athlete to have a lot of self-motivation. Every race is personal competition, pushing yourself to not only beat your competitors but your personal best times or distances as well. Being captain of my track team and an All-County hurdler, I got in the habit of handling the pressure of my teammates and others looking up to me as a motivated and driven athlete and role model. This has carried on to how I am as a person, always competing with myself. When you think about it, the way sports has an affect on us as youths really helps shape the way we act in life as we continue to grow up. -Gincel

I have attended public schools my whole life. I have never had fto take any formilized tests. My high school did make every student take an SAT prep class to graduate. This course was manditory for students to graduate. I personally dont think that this class helped me on the SATs at all. To me it was just a class i took because i had to and really didnt take it that serious. Looking back i wish i had because the scores i recieved on the SAT's were below par to say the least. I think that the school had the best intrest in mind by having this class manditory for everyone to take, but most did what I did and just went and did nothing.







When I was younger i played golf, baseball, ice hockey, soccer and wrestling. I learned a lot playing these sports. Baseball and soccer I learned all about teamwork, its hard for your team to be good if you are just playing for yourself. I would have to say that I have learned the most from playing golf. Golf has taught me how to control myself when things arn't always going good. The most important thing that I have learned from golf is honesty.

I agree with Tigerfrank...Soccer is very competitive but Little League Baseball combines that with teamwork, and learning how to cope with and support your teammates when they or the team is not playing well...In baseball, everything has to come together to get a win- it involves everyone in the lineup offensively and defensively-even in Little League since they have that rule that EVERYONE has to play three outs in the field and bat atleast once.

I went to a public school my entire life and by the time we reached 8th grade, we had formalized testing that tested basic math, english, and writing skills. By the time I reached high school we had tests called the MSA's and HSA's which tested all subjects that were taught in school. After I graduated, they have since become mandatory to pass and graduate from high school. My school did not offer an SAT study course most likely because our school district did not have enough money to support it or people to teach it-well enough. However, I did go to an SAT course a few nights a week but I was extremely busy with baseball and my schoolwork that I never had time to do the assignments they had given us. I would say this course had a small positive effect on my score. If I had time to do the work, I would probably have done better. I definitely think this is fair because it was not that expensive, and my parents and I considered and should be considered as a college expense/investment. As a youth I played soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, basketball, and swam for a team. These sports taught me how to interact with other kid's my age and support my teammates. I was not taught to behave in a certain way; some kids however could not take the competition or heat of the moment when a game would be close. I played Little League baseball when I was 11 and 12 and there wasnt any other youth sport that I played that came to as close as this sport did. After reading the Little League Baseball article, I completely agree with the amount of publicity those games and kids got for playing as well as the Little League World Series. After being on an all-star team for a few years and winning our district, we advanced to the state tournament where tons of people came from all over the state to watch, including college and high school coaches... The fact that the article says 300,000 people watch the LLWS is definitely forseeable in my eyes...And I dont remember any of my other youth sports being on ESPN either so I would say for sure that Yes, Little League Baseball is WAY different than any other of my youth sporting experiences.

After reading “The Little League World Series”, I was amazed with what actually take place when the little league world series occurs. From kindergarten through senior year of high school, I attended a catholic school. However, growing up and playing field hockey and lacrosse (before high school), I played with kids who went to public school; I was the only catholic school girl on my teams. The high school I went to did have formalized testing, as in standardized testing, which I absolutely hated. I also had an SAT study course before taking the test, but it wasn't provided by my school; it was something separate I went to and my parents paid for. As a youth playing field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball, I did learn a lot about teamwork and sportsmanship. But it wasn't something my coaches drilled in our heads. I learned by watching other teammates as well as listening carefully to what my coaches had to say. By the time I reached high school, I knew the important aspects of a team sport. Playing my youth sports was completely different than the Little League Baseball structure. As stated from the reading “…the LLWS draws well over 300,000 spectators yearly, and is televised by the American Broadcast Corporation and the Entertainment and Sport Programming Networks”. (18) My games were absolutely never televised and there were for sure never over 300,000 fans. Sometimes we would have one of the parents video-record our games but that was as close to be “televised” as it would get. I think it is pretty interesting to see how big baseball actually is, especially in youth, and how much attention it gets from ABC.

In response to Bill's blog, I relate to what he talked about with football. I also played in high school, and we were “punished” with more running, pushups, or something related to those. Our couch never made only one person do the extra running though, if someone screwed up during the game or got out of line another time, we all ran. That included school too, if someone got detention or in trouble in other ways, we all paid for it.

I went to a public school in Carroll County. We did have to take to tests so they could place us in certain level classes. These tests were administered in middle school and helped us be placed in the right level classes so we could learn at the best rate. We also did have the SAT's and our school offered an SAT Prep class. I did not elect to take this class but still did well on the test.



I played three sports in high school and as a child. As a child I played soccer basketball and baseball. Just like everyone else has said, they preached hard work and teamwork. They also told us the team was always above the individual. Another thing they taught us was to always work hard and never quit. The coaches always told us to listen to them, creating a position of authority. Also, the game was more about fun, not winning because we were all winners no matter what the outcome was. That is the difference I noticed from youth sports and high school. Sports in high school were very competitive, though the same morals are taught, such as teamwork and determination.

Im responding to Andrew's post, I completely agree that golf can help you most as an individual, you have to learn to depend on yourself to make the shot or putt. And you have to learn to focus on the shot at hand.

Looking back on my youth everything was tested. Spoke with my parents before writing this and they told me that I had to take small tests before being accepted into a preschool. As I grew up a little I would have to take standardized tests to be placed into certain level of math, English and other classes. In elementary, and middle school I remember taking standardized tests to see where my school was in relation to other schools I the county, state, nation. My high school had multiple help classes for the SATs as well as the ACTs. I never took the SAT prep course but I did take the ACT prep course. The course I took helped me a lot, I took the ACTs my junior year and then my senior year after my prep course. I was a lot more prepared the second time around, I did take it once before so I knew what I was in for, but the course helped me figure out the correct answers.



As for my sports background, every sport I played besides golf which was leisure, teamwork was pounded into my head. It makes sense though, a team needs to work as a unit to win a game. Take baseball for example if you are the pitcher, you need to depend on all eight of the men playing with you to make the plays behind you. And for them to provide you with enough runs to win the game.

I grew up in Columbia Maryland and attended a public high school there. In school I did take an SAT Prep Course, however i do not know how effective it was on my final score. I don't know whether it was just my teacher or i was just not paying close enough attention, but i felt that the class filled me with a false sense of security. I thought that since i had taken the class i didn't need to work that much in preparing for the actual test. I still studied for it a lot, but i thought that the class would have of prepared me a whole lot more than it actually did. I did find though that growing up taking all types of standardized tests did prepare me. I felt more at ease than i know some of my friends who attended private school did.



Growing up i played all kinds of youth sports such as, soccer, baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, and hockey. Youth sports are an important part of kids lives because they teach you team work and discipline, which extends much further than just in sports. Looking back now i do see how corporations tried to commodificate youth sports through tv advertisements with sports stars who we all grew up idolizing endorsing various products. I probably have purchased a shoe endorsed by almost every major basketball star over the past 2 decades.

I have experienced both sides of high school when it came to formalized testing and not. I first attended an all boys private school that in which I had to test to get into certain math or science classes. We really didn't have any SAT prep classes but it was also the lower level of high school. I then transferred to a public school in Prince George County. We did not have an actually SAT prep class, however, we usually had a word of the day in English class as well as some math problems in math class. I definitely think it had a positive effect on my score, but an actual class could have benefitted me much more. I think I got the high score I got by my own preparations before the exam.



I played baseball, basketball and soccer in my youth. Every sport every year probably taught me something different and helped me become who I am today depending on the coach or teammates I had over time. I definitely learned teamwork, not only in sport, is a big part of life in order to succeed. I learned fair play and rules of the games form an early age. I always learned to be a good sport, but winning was always a goal because I played very competitive sports. Even though winning was important, I learned not to brag or be overconfident.



Bryan Trotter

I agree with what Andrew said about parents getting so involved and livig through their kids. Of course you want your child to perform well but more importantly at such a young age is having fun. When parents pressure kids to score or yell at them for doing things wrong, it just hurts the child and turns them away from the initial reason that they love sport. These parents are the same parents that take away the learning aspect of sport such as teamwork, good sportsmanship, and fun. Also, I just wanted to point out about the testing that I think alot of the extra help and courses is really for people who are determined and want to get good grades. A few weeks ago I took the Dental Admission Test for dental school. All the material was things I have learned being a biology major, but since the weight and importance of this test is in a sense future determining I took a class at Kaplan over the summer. Yes, you have to pay for the extra help but I think that is a defining characteristic showing that you are getting the extra help and extra practice to get high scores.

I went to a private school from pre-school through high school. Obviously, we had standardized testing. Although my school did not have a specific class for SAT prep I took one at Sylvan Learning Center. Although it was expensive to be paying along with my tuition my parents though it was important. They had a guarantee that if your score did not improve by a certain number you could either retake the course until you felt prepared or get your money back. I took the SAT's twice and it was evident that the class really improved my SAT scores. I think it is fair because you have the means and willpower to take a class and improve your score then you should take advantage of that. When it comes to sports, I basically played every sport. Growing up I preferred to play barbies and dance, but my parents put me in sports anyway for the “teamwork” aspect. After one or two year of whatever sport it was (softball, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, track) I was finished. My parents would dress me for the part but that did not change the fact that I did not want to be there. I was definitely the little girl getting hit with the ball because I was watching kids play on the playground or sitting on the bench braiding pieces of grass. Sure I learned teamwork, discipline, and structure having to go to practice and sticking it out. I did stick with dancing which did require a lot of discipline, not so much teamwork. As a dancer you were trained and taught to be poised and graceful. Like the readings my experience was never quite so intense. When at such a young age, sports are made into such a production a lot of the values that are supposed to be learned are neglected.

I really find it amazing that almost everyone's response I have read so far mentions that teamwork is what they learned in youth sport. It did not matter whether it was track, soccer, football, baseball, or basketball hey all mentioned teamwork. I think this is true because teamwork is the main fundamental that must be taught in order to win games. A team with a lot of great pieces but no teamwork rarely works. Take the Yankees for example, they spend the most money of any team in baseball and also have some of the best players in the history of the sport but they haven't won a championship in over 8 years. This just shows how important teamwork is in sports. If you have players on the team that do not get along and fight and argue, it is tough to have good camaraderie and produce winning teams. Frank Olszewski

I went to a private catholic school from kindergarten through high school and we had different forms of formalized testing every year. In early grades we had standardized testing that helped to determine whether the school was teaching us the right stuff. In high school we had placement tests that would place students where they belonged in regards to class type. The higher you tested the more challenging the class was. In later years of high school we had PSAT and SATs that prepared us for college. The SATs help to determine if a college will accept you or not. I did not have a SAT prep course before I took the class. I don't think that this is unfair but I feel that not having one could have affected my score on the test. If you have teachers teaching you the exact kind of questions that will be on the test, your score should then improve.





As a youth I played baseball and soccer. Soccer taught me a lot of things most importantly how to be a team player. People who score get all the glory but there were times where I would play defense and goalie. They are tough positions to play because not only do you have to protect the other team from scoring but you are the person that usually gets all the blame. I had to realize that it's not all about scoring its more about how you play as a team that gets your team the win. I think baseball taught me that there is more than one part of the game that makes you win. You can have good pitching but no hitting and lose or you can have great hitting and no pitching and lose. A team needs to have a balance between the two to make it work. It is basically the same principle for both sports and that is teamwork helps teams win.



Frank Olszewski

I attended Mount Saint Joseph a private Catholic High School in Baltimore Maryland .. I initially went there due to their reputation in athletics. Also because public schools in howard county didnt have a golf team, and with golf being my main focus at that point in time i wanted to go to a high school with a golf team. I also thought going to Mount Saint Joe would help me get a scholarship to play golf in college. Being a private school there was an acceptance exam and a placement test that i had to take before getting into school. Once admitted St. Joe had a high standard for academics as they tried to prepare us for the next stage in our lives. St. Joe offered a free SAT prep course which i opted to take and it made quite a bit of a difference in my opinion. I took the SATs before the test and got an 1110 and then after the class i got an 1190. I do believe that is fair for me to use my resources that are available to me. I might have more resources available to me than others but that is life and it is fair in my opinion.



I played soccer, baseball and golf growing up and the three of them helped mold me into who i am today. I learned and am learning teamwork playing golf than any of the other two sports. Being the captain in high school and now in college my position has taught me how to properly interact with my teammates. I learned very little in team sports actually as i was always selfish and only wanted the ball to be in my hands. All in all through disappointments, successes, teammates and coaches sports have truly made me who i am today.

The school system that I went through had formalized testing in the early years of school which was used to not only test the students to see how we were doing personally, but to place students in certain levels based on scores. At an early age, it did not really matter what you or your friend got, all that mattered was getting out of the test as early as possible. The Commack school district was a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, so they made sure each student was raising the bar for themselves. Because of this, the administration decided that SAT Prep Courses were a mandatory program for all students to help students get into better colleges. But this only made the students not want to try to improve their SAT scores. This class was used like a study hall. Pointless.







As a child, I played golf, baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. I was involved in multiple teams a season and it was totally worth it, but obviously throwing out the parent crap that went on. The weird thing about my youth sport experience is that I gained more from playing golf then all the other team sports I participated in. I learned self-control and learning to be able to pick myself up on a dime from the game of golf. I relate a lot to what happens in life to how I manage similar situations while on the golf course. You need to live life like you play every single shot in golf, with a plan that you decide on to keep and trust. I did learn teamwork in golf as I got older when I began to play on teams, but one of the reasons I have become who I am today is because of what I learned on the tee. Golf is an etiquette game that requires a lot of discipline. As related to the book, while I played on the Tournament teams for baseball, the mentality of Win at any cost absolutely came into play. The parents lived through their children and wanted to go to Williamsport more then we did. Its crazy the way parents reacted to games we won or lost, it was like they played in the game!



Andrew Schwartz

After reading some of the responses, its funny to see that everyone has a similar story regarding youth sports. It is not necessarily the same situation, but the same idea. It is amazing that youth sports have become what it is today. People even recruit youth athletes to join other teams and programs. Youth sports should be about maturity, teamwork, and having fun playing a sport with friends. The best thing about all this is no matter how many youths get their dreams stomped on because everyday, more and more coaches and parents will ruin a kids dreams of becoming a professional athlete because they struck out or missed a game winning lay-up. Winning is not everything in life!



Andrew Schwartz

I went to a public school that was very focused on preparing all of their students for high education. Each year the senior class had about 98% of the seniors go onto either a four year school or two year community college. So the idea of doing well on the SATs was engrained in us from the time we entered the school. In the first three years in English we had vocabulary books that required us to do activities on vocabulary words used in the SATs. There also was SAT prep class offered as an elective that was very popular for students to take. Another step in preparing for the test in our first two years was taking the PSATs. Every student took the test during school and didn't have to pay for the test, which gave us an understanding of the test. All of these preparations helped out with getting ready for the test. They had understanding what was necessary to do as well as we could. I think its tough for kids that don't know what there getting into it. The SATs aren't like regular test, they're made to confuse you and try to poorly. If kids aren't prepared they are starting out behind the curve.



Growing up I played baseball and basketball from the age of 4. Sports were something growing up that I loved. They also gave me my identity growing up. I was the kid that was good at sports in school and the one that loved watching sports. I to this day feel like I learned much more through sports than other outlets. It taught team work, sportsmanship, leadership, and hard work. My experiences weren't very similar to those of the article. It wasn't till I got older that the “win at all cost” mentality was put into our game. Growing up we were more just kids getting to play a game twice a week.

The high school I went to was in Pg County which mainly has public schools so taking a formalized test to get into my school wasn't necessary. Unless you didn't leave in that jurisdiction and were trying to get into that school for a special program, example Biotechnology. We did take formalized test like the High School Assessments which my school had one of the lowest test scores. If you didn't pass the HSAs then you weren't getting out of high school. My school actually did offer a SAT preparatory course for students to take prior to taking the SATs which was a surprise because I never really thought they cared whether or not we went to college just as long as we graduated high school and got out of their hair. I didn't take the course it wasn't mandatory. I studied for the test myself so the class really didn't have any impact of my scores.



When I was younger the only sport I ever did was track and I loved it. I always ran the 100 meter 200 meter and the 4x1 relay. I do believe running track taught me teamwork. When running the 4x1 relay your not running by your self your running as a team and it's the team effort that you put in together that's going to get you across that finish line first. I do believe we were train to behave and socialize in particular ways because in a track you come across all type of people. All different shapes, sizes, and creeds we were taught good sportsmanship, to respect others and carry yourself with dignity whether you won or not.



Kadie Bangura

During my youth in elementary school through high school, formalized testing was always part of the year. Every two years starting around fourth grade, we had a standardized test for about a week during the year. When we were that young, nobody actually knew what it was for, except the fact that we got half days during that week. When I got older, and SAT's came around, I was pushed to take an SAT class part of my high school to help me do better. I think it helped me improve me score, and in a way, I think they should be free to all students. Just because a student is not privileged enough to pay for a class or have help from a tutor, does not mean that they should do worse on the test. The SAT's should be an equal opportunity for all students to have them on an equal playing field for college. This does not seem to be the case as more and more students are applying to college. Baseball, basketball, and soccer were all part of my youth as well. Starting with soccer, which taught me teamwork, I was able to take that with me all throughout my other sporting activities. There are some things you learn in any sport that will always carry on to the next sport, leadership and teamwork to name a few. We were always trained to shake the hands of the other players at the end of the game no matter the outcome and no matter how we felt towards the other team.



Scott Rappaport.

When I was growing up I went to public schools. The only formalized testing I ever had was the MSPAP which they stopped giving when I was in the 8th grade. I went to a college prepartory high school that made it mandatory to take the PSATs every year until your junior year. There were many offers to take prep classes for SATs but you did have to pay for them which alot of families could not afford. My high school used to offer an SAT prep course as apart of the curriculum but since we got a new principal when I was in the 11th grade he threw it out. Supposedly, budgets cuts. Although, we were a college prepatory school I felt that it was unfair that they took the SAT Prep course away from especially since we were the first graduating class taking the "new" SAT.



As a young child I played field hockey. The only lesson it taught me was that girls were viscious. I quit sports after an injury to my knee so when I went to high school I just sang on the choir. Singing on the choir did teach me teamwork because there were a couple of teams my section had to get together and practice. This also taught me disclipine because it was certain ways we were supposed to act during performances and helped us to communicate with each other. This values are useful for a child because it teaches children how to be mature and work together.



Kierra Palmer

I grew up going to public schools. We did not have any formalized tests to get in the schools, obviously, but we did have formalized testing while attending school, especially high school. In high school we had the PSATs, assessments for english, math, and other core subjects, and of course the SATs. My high school offered an SAT prep course that was not mandatory before taking the test but strongly encouraged. I chose to take this test because I did want to prepare myself and my parents really wanted my to be prepared as well. I would say this course had a positive effect on my score. I am not the best test taker so naturally a lot of the preparation was lost as soon as the time started. But I do feel I would not have done as well as I did without having taken the course. In my high school I would say this is fair because everyone has the opportunity to take the course. However, across the state I am not sure that all schools offer this as a course for students so in that case, it is not totally fair because not everyone will have the ability to fully prepare themselves for this "important" test. There are also other options for a prep course for the SAT test that you would have to pay for which is even worse because not all families might have the funds to pay for this extra course.



As a young child I played many sports. I played soccer, lacrosse, football, roller hockey, and one season of baseball. Once I got to middle school I stuck with lacrosse and football. These sports taught me a lot of lessons. Two of the bigger lessons learned were discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. All of these principles are most likely a common theme for majority of young athletes. These lessons can be applied to all facets of life. Discipline can be applied to doing schoolwork, working hard at a task of any kind, and even staying true to one's own values and principles. Teamwork is a useful tool in cooperation which is essential in school, work, and any other situation involving a group trying to accomplish something. Finally sportsmanship is a great way in learning respect for others and respect for yourself. We were trained and conditioned to work hard and have respect for each other and especially authority figures (coaches). If we messed up a play, fumbled, dropped a pass, missed a tackle, missed a ground ball, missed an assignment; we had to run, do pushups, do something to atone for our mistake. Everyone learns values and principles different ways, fortunately, sports can help kids learn these values and see achievement through putting these values and practices to work.

When I was growing up, I went to public schools so they didn't actually have formalized test to get in. We did have formalized tests throughout the years that assessed our growth and knowledge such as MSPAP, MSAs, and HSAs. These tests got us acquainted with formalized tests and prepared us for harder, more complex tests such as the SATs. In my high school, we had the option of taking an SAT prep course as an elective. The students who took the course were the ones who planned on going to college. I had a friend that I danced with that went to a high school that didn't offer SAT prep. She said it was probable because in was a bad school and most of the students that went there didn't go to college any way. Taking SAT prep really helped me do better on the test because I got used to vocabulary words and association questions for readings. I don't think it is fair that some schools offer that course and others don't. Everyone should be given the same opportunity in public schools to go to college, and to get into college you must first do well on the SATs. If those students who go to a public school that is for the most part a lower class/poor school are taught the same things and given the same opportunities, those who want to go to college can. If they don't have the money but they are given good education and work hard, they could get a scholarship to go to college.

Growing up I played soccer and lacrosse. Both sports taught me discipline and hard work. They taught me how to use team work to win and how to have good sportsmanship. These are all valuable things to learn early since you use them for the rest of your life in not just sports but society. We have norms in society that you are expected to do like being patient, or setting goals, or working together. Most of these social norms are learned when you are young, and by playing sports it really helps you learn how to be a productive, socially excepted member of society. I'm not saying that those kids who grew up not playing any kind of sport don't have the same social etiquette. I am only saying that youth sports are good at teaching values that you will always use.

Erin Ragan

The schools that I have attended in the past have all had some form of testing just to get into the school. My high school, Archbishop Spalding is a Maryland blue ribbon school and prides itself on academics. I had to have above average grades in middle school and a good grade on the admissions test. Because my school was structured in academics, the faculty felt it wasn't necessary to prepare students for the SAT. I believe this assumption hurt students like me when it was time to take the test. The second time taking it I did well but only because my English teacher helped me prepare.



The sports I played as a youth were football, baseball, basketball and soccer. In general the lessons learned from playing these sports were discipline and teamwork. Discipline was learned through following the coach's orders and using sportsmanship while on the field or court. Teamwork was learned by working well with others on the team to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves. In particular, football was the sport that taught me both of these principles adamantly. As a football team we worked hard and learned discipline through punishment for bad behavior or foolish mistakes. If we committed a personal foul penalty or fought with a teammate we were sure to pay by running laps around the field. We learned to become a team and work with each other by overcoming physical obstacles like practice in the August heat. We helped one another and formed a bond that would help us throughout the season. I think my youth sporting experience was a little different from the model presented in the reading because I don't feel that American cultural ideals were pressed upon us. There were no ideals instilled in us that would blind us from cultural reality. I believe that what I learned during that time helped me to develop discipline, respect and a team mentality.



Bill Reem